“Quite simply these are the wrong priorities. We needed a Budget for jobs and growth, but instead the outlook today looks very gloomy indeed for families and pensioners in Southampton.

“Many of Southampton’s families will lose out on £253 as a result of this budget. Pensioners set to lose £75 a year from April 2013. With rising fuel prices, cuts to tax credits and child benefit, long-term youth unemployment almost tripling in Southampton, I do not believe it is the right time to give a tax cut to people on exceptionally high incomes.”